Camden Council defends controversial licensing plans – as residents complain they ‘favour businesses’

Camden Council is to forge ahead with controversial changes to its licensing rules after months of delays and a public outcry.

Plans put forward earlier this year by Cllr Jonathan Simpson MBE would relax restrictions around opening hours and locations for pubs, bars and similar venues.

The council hopes the move will provide a boost for the borough’s nightlife.

But it is understood that concerns raised by the police prompted the licensing committee to pull the draft policy in January.

A coalition of residents’ groups have also complained that more liberal rules would worsen noise and crime.

On Tuesday evening, opponents filled the council chamber to put their cases to Town Hall officers.

Kate Gemmell, volunteer chair at Tenants’ and Residents’ Association Camden Town (TRACT), argued that the new proposals would “firmly shift the balance in favour of businesses”.

TRACT has previously criticised the council’s licensing panels as too generous in granting licenses for alcohol sales and late hours for new premises close to people’s homes.

“We challenge anyone to walk the streets near these high streets at 8am in the morning and see the resulting filth and litter left by those using the late-night premises,” Gemmell said.

The council is seeking to extend “framework hours” – the period when councils are not expected to put safeguards in place – in order to “to prevent crime and disorder and public nuisance”.

Under its updated policy, bars, pubs, restaurants and fast-food outlets would have an extra 30 minutes before extra requirements apply.

The original drafted policy proposed that for night clubs, music and dance venues, the terminal framework hours will be extended to 2am on Saturday and Sunday.

Following public and police representations, this was curtailed to 12.30am.

The council is also considering scrapping saturation rules, which would make it easier for new premises to open in the borough.

While TRACT and other residents groups fear both changes would lead to a rise in crime and disorderly behaviour, others spoke in support of the move.

Liam O’Hare from landlord Labtech said it would “inject a new generation of operators into the town centre, and new ideas bringing vibrancy to the borough”.

His position was backed by an elected group of business representatives, Camden Town Unlimited.

Jamie Akinola, the borough’s director of public safety, attempted to soothe anxieties and assured residents their concerns had been taken on board.

Fewer restrictions and impact assessments would not mean the council would simply give carte-blanche to new or varying premises licence bids, he argued.

“Nowhere in the draft policy does it say that, if an application comes in which is in line with framework hours, that’s it — it goes through.

“That’s not the case. I expect them to be scrutinising all applications,” he said.

Akinola stressed that applications are often “much more nuanced and responsive to local issues”, and that all are considered on a “case-by-case basis” involving relevant authorities, including the police.

Under the updated rules, those in charge of considering each application would have extra responsibilities to prioritise and promote the licensing objectives — balancing both “crime and disorder” and “economic considerations”.

The policy has now been put out for the statutory 12-week public consultation process.

Cllr Richard Cotton urged the Town Hall to be careful in removing its cumulative impacts assessments, and warned that locals had grown sceptical of consultations as a serious way of involving the public in making decisions.

“Police have made it clear they cannot cope with the exisitng pressures of the night-time economy, and they do not have the resources to cope with any significant increase in that.

“Last January, residents made clear the overriding thing they wanted was to preserve the delicate balance between their needs and the night-time economy.

“It feels as if one of the few protections residents are afforded is to be scrapped, and the optics of this are not good,” he said.

Akinola said: “What’s absolutely crucial is that active and engaged residents’ communities feel that the policy gets that balance right, and that authorities are putting through local information that can inform the decision-making process.”

The council originally announced it would rethink its licensing policy in 2019, citing the “challenge” faced by the evening and night-time economy (ENTE) as venues struggled to stay open.

The council’s ENTE strategy document published earlier this year states that the borough, despite “high numbers of late-night venues”, is below average for inner London in terms of per capita noise complaints.

Update: this article was amended at 2pm on 21 November 2024. The terminal framework hours for night clubs, music and dance venues will be 12.30am on Saturdays and Sundays, rather than 2am as originally stated.